# No Boundaries Forestry

With over 6 million acres of Idaho’s forestlands designated as “high risk” for insect and disease outbreaks and potential catastrophic wildfire, Idaho’s Shared Stewardship efforts emerged as a result of collaboration between the State of Idaho and the USDA Forest Service—analyzing how the focus of federal and state resources on critically needed treatments can impact at-risk forestlands extending from the national forests across all ownership boundaries. This collaboration was memorialized in an agreement signed in 2018 and now includes the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Using advanced scientific tools and spatial analyses, Shared Stewardship Priority Landscapes have been defined that demonstrate where resources can be directed to make a bigger impact on protecting communities and mitigating these threats to Idaho’s forests. Spatial delineation of these two Priority Landscapes, one in northern Idaho and one in the southern part of the state, was informed in large part by threats analyses described in the Idaho Forest Action Plan, as well as a spatial assessments of recent and future forest treatments across the state. 

The Idaho Department of Lands, the USDA Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service are sharing staff, funding and are joining with a governor-appointed advisory group to identify mutual priorities and cross-boundary forest management opportunities. The Idaho Forest Action Plan serves as a path forward for identifying and addressing forest threats across the state—and Idaho Shared Stewardship initiatives include the all-lands strategies, GNA projects, and cross-boundary project work to mitigate these threats across forested lands in Idaho.